Metrowest Yoga Brings Zen to Worcester

Stressed out? There's a pose for that. Metrowest Yoga, owned by Shawn Shaw, caters to students of all shapes, sizes, and experience levels.

As you walk through the doors of the cost Metrowest Yoga studio, the smell of incense and the sight of vibrant decorations almost instantly make you feel at peace. Metrowest Yoga takes pride in its two heated studio spaces, one small and one big, where they host classes such as Flow Yoga, MYoga Hot Hatha, Slow Flow, and Beginner Flow. Shawn Shaw, a Massachusetts native, started her studio in Worcester after she found success with her other studio located in Marlborough.

“I think that the really important message is that yoga is for everyone. It’s not about being good or bad, it’s an opportunity to give health and healing to the body, and more importantly, the spirit,” said Shaw. This is what Metrowest Yoga prides itself on: offering classes to everyone, no matter what their experience level. Not only does the studio they offer yoga lessons, it also offers workshops on meditation, fundamentals classes, and teacher training. Twice a year, Shaw brings about a dozen people on a “yoga retreat.” Some of her past destinations include Costa Rica, Italy, and Greece.

Classes not only focus on the physical aspect of yoga, but also the spiritual. Shaw offers words of encouragement and advice as her students sweat and move into various yoga poses. Yoga helped Shaw find happiness when she started practicing again, and has a desire to help people in the same way.

Shaw also enjoys giving back to the community. “I consider us one of the premier studios in Worcester, with our quality of teaching.” She also understands that yoga can be an expensive endeavor, which is why she offers people an opportunity to get a free class for every hour they volunteer at the studio. A drop-in class costs $16, so essentially volunteers are getting paid $16 an hour.

Local artists also sell their work in the front of the studio; most of the time, it is jewelry that is made by one of her students. Shaw also understands the need for different, prestigious businesses in the city of Worcester. That, she says, will benefit the city as a whole, by raising the standards of business. She also sells yoga-related products, videos, books, CDs, and audiotapes made by either her or different yogis that have been to visit.

Shaw hopes to eventually tap into the college student market, but with the emergence of free lessons at schools, this seems like a challenge. “I am happy that college students are practicing, but there haven’t been as many in here as I hoped,” said Shaw.